IndiGo flight delay leaves passengers stuck in the aircraft gasping for air

Passengers traveling by an Indigo flight from Delhi to Kolkata on June 25 had a tough time waiting inside the aircraft without air conditioning amid soaring temperatures after the flight got delayed by 100 minutes due to a technical snag.

As per a report by The Times of India, the Indigo flight, 6E 786 was scheduled to depart from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi at 3.20 pm. However, due to a technical snag observed by the pilot, the flight was delayed and finally took off at 5 p.m.

The report quoted a passenger aboard the flight as saying, “There was no air-conditioning inside the aircraft, and since we boarded in the afternoon with the scorching heat outside, sitting inside became increasingly suffocating.”

He also added there was no information provided about the delay till around 25 minutes after which the cabin crew informed the passengers that the pilot will update about the situation in another thirty minutes.

There were around 180 passengers on the flight, including women and children. The passenger also said some children had started crying due to excessive heat and suffocation. While the aircraft was taken back to the taxiing bay, passengers were not de-boarded.

In response, an Indigo spokesperson said the pilot noticed a minor defect when he started the aircraft’s engine. He immediately informed the
maintenance team who rectified the error and the flight was cleared for takeoff within an hour and nine minutes. The airline spokesperson, however, claimed there was no issue with the air-conditioning.